at 18:30 (JST), October 27

Asian View

"Asian View" is a five-minute news segment broadcast by NHK WORLD-JAPAN. It features the latest news and deep analysis from Japan and the rest of Asia. Listen to "Asian View" and get the latest information from a region that's playing an increasingly important role in the world.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20221027183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : news agency revised constitution
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221027_06/

The Chinese Communist Party's revised constitution, adopted at its National Congress on Saturday, says the party firmly opposes independence for Taiwan.

State-run Xinhua News Agency released a full text of the amended constitution on Wednesday.

The text now says the party resolutely opposes and deters what it calls separatists seeking "Taiwan independence" and shall "achieve the reunification of the motherland."

The document also obliges party members to uphold President Xi Jinping's core position in the party.

It also adopts a plan to basically realize socialist modernization by 2035 and build China into a "great modern socialist country" by the middle of the century.

However, a slogan expressing loyalty to Xi was not included in the text. The slogan is intended to cement Xi's core position in the party and his role as China's ideological leader.

There was also speculation that Xi's political theory would be renamed "Xi Jinping Thought." Mao Zedong, considered China's founding father, has an ideology named after him called "Mao Zedong Thought." But the change was not made.

Observers say while Xi consolidated his grip on power by appointing his allies to the party's supreme leadership, the revisions to the party constitution turned out to be more modest than expected.

Key words : bangladesh cyclone
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221027_04/

People in Bangladesh are feeling the aftermath of a tropical cyclone that barreled across the country in recent days. Local media say at least 24 people were killed.

Cyclone Sitrang slammed into Bangladesh's southern coast late Monday, bringing violent winds and rain as it travelled north.

Reports say about 10,000 homes and over 6,000 hectares of cropland were damaged. Millions are without power. Communication lines are down, making it hard to assess the damage.

The reports also say refugee camps in the country's southeast for Rohingya people fleeing Myanmar have not been severely affected.

Key words : parliamentary help rebuild
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221026_28/

Ukrainian parliamentary delegates have wrapped up their visit to Japan with a pledge to use what they have learned in Japan to rebuild their country after the war.

The parliamentarians arrived in Japan on October 15 for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February. They met Japanese lawmakers and government officials during their 12-day stay.

The group held a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday prior to their departure from Japan.

The head of the delegation, Galyna Mykhailiuk, thanked pledges of continued support for Ukraine from all sectors of Japan. She said Japan has proved to be a reliable partner and they appreciate all the help received.

Mykhailiuk said Russian missile attacks have destroyed 40 percent of Ukraine's energy infrastructure, and she appealed for power generators and other supplies to overcome the winter.

Delegation member Yaroslav Zheleznyak is from the eastern city of Mariupol, which fell under Russian control in May after a fierce battle.

He expressed hope of visiting Japan again after Ukraine's victory to discuss a reconstruction plan. He said he wants to make Ukrainian cities beautiful again, just as Japan has recovered from World War Two and natural disasters.

Key words : united states and south response north
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221026_25/

Vice foreign ministerial-level officials of Japan, the United States and South Korea have agreed to prepare together for further possible North Korean provocations, including a nuclear test.

Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Mori Takeo met US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong at the Iikura Guest House in Tokyo on Wednesday.

The three diplomats agreed that North Korea's test-firings of ballistic missiles in rapid succession are an obvious and grave challenge to the international community.

They also agreed that Russia's claims that Ukraine is preparing to use so-called dirty bombs are false and unacceptable.

On China, they said efforts to unilaterally change the status quo in the East and South China seas by force cannot be condoned, and that they will keep a close eye on the third-term leadership of President Xi Jinping.

Mori later told reporters that cooperation among the three countries has added importance now that the security environment is rapidly growing severe. He pledged to further promote close partnership and cooperation through multilayered communication.

Sherman described Japan and South Korea as strong, close allies. She stressed unwavering US commitment to defending Japan and South Korea, and said the three are bound by shared national security interests.

Cho said the three countries confirmed the need for the strongest-ever response in case the North conducts a seventh nuclear test. He added that they will step up cooperation with the international community so that denuclearization talks can resume.

Key words : association of immediate released
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221026_36/

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is deeply concerned about the latest escalation of violence in Myanmar, and is urging an immediate end to hostilities.

Current ASEAN chair Cambodia released a statement on Tuesday, citing Sunday's airstrike in the northern Kachin state that reportedly killed about 50 civilians and others.

The statement said the escalation of violence defies the spirit of the Five-Point Consensus that ASEAN agreed with the junta last year. It said attempts by a special envoy to bring progress are being undermined.

ASEAN has been leading the way in trying to restore peace. But the junta appears to have done little to cooperate. The five-point plan calls for an immediate end to violence, and dialogue between the envoy and all relevant parties.

The group's foreign ministers are due to have a special meeting on Thursday to discuss the situation.

Key words : journalist detained
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221026_22/

Friends and other supporters of a Japanese journalist detained in Myanmar demanded his release at a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Kubota Toru was detained by security forces during anti-military protests in Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, in July.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for violating the immigration law and other charges.

One of the participants in Wednesday's news conference was Kitazumi Yuki, a journalist who was detained in Yangon in April last year and freed about a month later.

He said Kubota seems okay for now, but conditions have become far worse than they were last year. He said the detention of journalists is unjust, and he seeks Kubota's immediate release.

Human Rights Watch's Kasai Teppei said trials in Myanmar are not seen by the public nor the international community. He pointed out that defendants are almost certainly convicted.

He urged the Japanese government to do whatever it can to secure the release of all detainees.

The Japanese Embassy in Myanmar has promised to seek Kubota's release through various channels, but there are fears his detention could become prolonged.

Key words : reduce food waste
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221026_34/

More businesses in Japan are introducing technology and services to reduce the amount of edible food that is wasted.

Major food delivery company Oisix ra daichi has started processing substandard shape vegetables and other foodstuffs at a facility near Tokyo.

Those vegetables that can be sold fresh are cut into pieces. The parts close to the peel or stalk are turned into ready-to-eat ingredients using the firm's proprietary technologies for heating or freezing them.

Oisix aims to reduce food waste by 1,000 tons annually in three years.

In another initiative, the Japan Department Stores Association is conducting trials to encourage restaurant customers to take home their leftovers.

Eateries at 18 department stores are taking part. One Chinese restaurant in Tokyo offers paper take-out cartons. So far, the service is used about 10 times a day by groups of guests.

Food waste is a major social problem in Japan. An estimated 5.2 million tons were dumped in fiscal 2020. That is 20 percent more than the total volume of food aid distributed by the UN World Food Programme in the same period.